What have you seen recently while walking?

[RandomAnthony]

Today is the anniversary of the day Walden was published, so I'm thinking of Thoreau, and I happened to walk my dogs through five miles of rain this morning, so walking is on my mind.

What have you seen recently while walking? I ask about "walking" in specific because the pace is so different from driving and observations flow in a different rhythm.

This morning I didn't see much, though. Just some rabbit and a deer. But holy fuck, the raining hard, so I think most anything observable was hiding.

You?

[Phil]

RandomAnthony wrote: "But holy fuck, the raining hard, so I think most anything observable was hiding."

It's too early in the AM to try to parse that bit about "the raining hard." Perhaps it's poetry.

[RandomAnthony]

Er...yes...that's it...

[Jonathan]

'Twas brillig! And the raining hard did gyre and gimble in the wabe. All mimsy were the borogoves, and the mome raths outgrabe.

[Sarah]

I have an urge to quote all of Dr Seuss's "And to Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street", but instead I'll answer seriously.

I saw a toy soldier that some kid must have dropped in the dirt, but it landed under a tree on a city street and looked like the last member of its troop trying to hold out behind enemy lines.

[Jackie "the Librarian"]

This morning, I surprised a rabbit, god knows how, as my backpack was rattling pretty hard. I didn't exactly sneak up on it in stealthy silence. :)

[Stacia (the 2010 club)]

Jackie "the Librarian" wrote: "This morning, I surprised a rabbit, god knows how, as my backpack was rattling pretty hard. I didn't exactly sneak up on it in stealthy silence. :)"

We had so many bunnies all over the neighborhood a few years ago. I used to put random produce out for them to eat.

Then a fox moved in. He hangs out in our backyard a lot. There aren't any bunnies to be found now...it's sort of sad. I know, circle of life and all that, but I liked the bunnies.

[Stacia (the 2010 club)]

Oh, back on the thread topic.

The other day while I was walking, I saw a kid moseying down the street with only one shoe on. I wanted to ask what that was about, but didn't. He didn't seem injured or distressed, so I left it alone.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

I was walking along the lakefront when I noticed all the traffic coming to a halt. I realized they must be preparing for Obama's motorocade, so I kept walking towards the on-ramp. I didn't think I would get there in time, but apparently they stop traffic 15-20 minutes in advance, so all the cars turned off their engines and people were getting out and gabbing. I got to a good vantage point (as it turns out, a grassy knoll) and about 15 other walkers/bikers had stopped and we waited another few minutes until 4 motorcyclists emerged. Another few minutes, then an unbelievable number of vehicles: 4-5 black SUVs, several police cars, an ambulance, five white vans, some more police cars, some more police motorcycles. It had to be 25+ vehicles in all not counting motorcycles. When they got on the road they gunned it, having the road to themselves, probably 80 in a 45 mph zone.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

I'm always looking and listening for interesting birds, and on that walk I think I saw a baltimore oriole. Although its mother didn't look like an oriole, so maybe it wasn't.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

A couple weeks ago I was walking down my street and I heard this child wailing like the world was about to end. It was a girl of about 7-8 walking with her mother. As they got closer to me I heard the girl sob, "Mommy, not this street, mommy, stop. Mommy, no, stop. Mommy, we are not parked on this street. Mommy, no. See? Our car is not there."